“I was lucky to work with a producer who wasn’t forcing me to work with big Hollywood names,” explained Peter. “It’s a movie that’s set in Europe. It’s very much the European instalment of the Lecter myth. We start in Lithuania, we go to Paris and it just seemed to make sense to do it with European actors to give it that breath of reality.”

Taking over the role made famous by Anthony Hopkins, 22-year-old French actor Gaspard Ulliel stars as the young Lecter.

“I saw an awful lot of people, you know, I saw some well-known actors in America, some lesser-known actors in Britain, but in the end, there was something very singular about Gaspar,” said Peter of the new-look Lecter. “He looks amazing, he’s got a fantastic acting ability – and just a touch of darkness about him.”

Asked what he wanted to bring to the already iconic role, Gaspar said his aim was to create a “more human” and “more sympathetic aspect” to the famous movie monster.